Chapter 52: Sneak
|Preceded by = Chapter 51: The Tree |Followed by = Chapter 53: Annie and the Fire}} "Sneak" is the 52nd chapter of Gunnerkrigg Court. It starts . Summary The chapter opens soon after the events of the previous chapter with Kat going to visit Annie's new residence. Kat jokingly complains about the room's size, hugs Annie, and gives her a card signed by the boys in their class. The card reads "Sorry for your hair. And your Dad." After reading the card Annie states that the boys think that she's an idiot and that the card was their way of making fun of her. Kat reassures her and tells her that nobody thinks that she's an idiot but Annie insists that they must. Annie talks about how the other people in her class seem so much smaller despite being a year younger than her. She smiles and says that they look at her like she's a "big dumb giant". Kat does not find this funny. Kat tells Annie that her father has gone too far, that her own parents didn't he'd returned to the court until she told them and how she suspects that something fishy is going in. Annie doesn't think that there's anything wrong, but Kat still wonders why he would show up now of all times. Kat asks asks when he'll be coming back, but Annie doesn't answer and or look her in the eye. They notice that Annie's dad has entered the room and Annie rushes to get her homework in order. Anthony greets the girls and then asks Antimony about her progress on her homework. When she tells him that she has finished it, he glances at Kat but his daughter reassures him that she did it all on her own. He gives her some brief approval and then tells her that there will be more tomorrow. Anthony reveals that Renard had not been cooperating with his instructions, and seems incredulous when Annie tells him that she gave him full control. Kat then begrudgingly tells him that her parents have invited him and Annie to have dinner with them. Upon accepting the invitation, Anthony urges Antimony to be ready before then and leaves the room. After she's sure that Annie's dad was gone, Kat tells Annie that Parley and Smitty would be there at any moment,to which Annie responds with a dismayed "Oh Kat, you're not still going to do that are you?" Parley and Andrew teleport into the room, and Parley rushes over to hug Annie while Andrew just asks if she's alright. Annie assures them both that she's fine and that it's something that she's getting used to. Andrew then tells her that Coyote is not happy with the situation and that there's rumors that Ysengrin believes that she is being held against her will. Antimony tells him to ask them to be patient. Kat gives Parley and Andrew a brief rundown of their mission. They have a few minutes to teleport to Renard's current location. When Annie protests that they shouldn't go to her father's house, Kat tells her that they don't know if Renard is even in his house. The three of them teleport away and arrive in a sparsely furnished house. Kat finds Renard on a desk and calls to him. He shapeshifts into a small form resembling a corgi and immediately responds by asking if Antimony is alright. Kat tells him that she's barely holding together and asks if Anthony's done anything cruel to him. It is revealed that Antimony secretly transferred her ownership of Renard onto Kat while they were in the Horsebot Carriage, signified by Renard's mark changing from the symbol for Antimony to the Mark of the Creator. As it turns out, the three of them are in Anthony's house and Renard tells them that he spends his evening in silently reading Annie's schoolwork. Frustrated, Kat looks through Anthony's desk to find some sort of reason behind his actions. Renard expresses his gratitude at being placed in Kat's possession and tells her he regrets not being able to do anything. Kat promises that they will figure out a way to get him back and she tells him that he can do whatever it takes to defend himself if Anthony tries to hurt him. Parley and Smitty notice Anthony approaching the house so all three of them teleport away. Anthony enters the house and commands Renard to show himself. There is no response. Later on, Antimony and her father are shown walking down a street to the Donlan's house. Antimony briefly glances at her father's prosthetic hand. They arrive. Donald and Anthony calmly greet each other, Kat and Annie wave from behind their backs. The three then enter the house. Inside, Anja rushes to greet Anthony but she is startled by at the state of his scarred face. She tries to hug him, but he won't move. She tries to shake his hand, but he doesn't budge. Anja finally just awkwardly points at him and expresses how good it is to see him after so long and how glad he must be to see Annie again. Anthony is glad to see her and Donald, but he says that he's merely disappointed in his daughter to Antimony's embarrassment. Anja hovers protectively over Annie and guides her over to the dining room, glancing at her husband with a worried expression as she does so. The dinner starts in silence. Kat stabs her food and glares at it. Anthony breaks the silence by complementing Kat's schoolwork. Kat stares at Anthony, furious and embarrassed. Annie stares at her food. When Anthony tries to keep talking about Kat, Donald intercepts him by asking him where he's been.Donald's noticed that his nose is broken and he can barely eat his food. Anthony responds that his arm was lost due to his "own foolish actions". Annie suggest that the they drop the subject, but Donald continues and asks what his friend was doing during the past three years. Everyone's attention is now on Anthony, waiting for his reply. But Anthony what only mentions that he "had work" and reminds his old friend that they are not permitted to discuss some aspects of their work when asked to elaborate further. Donald quickly changes the subject, asking about Renard. Donald mentions that the he and Annie had become friends during Anthony's absence. Anthony then asks if they are so quick to trust the demon around their own daughter. Kat, fed up, insists that Reynardine would never hurt either of them. Mrs. Donlan supports this, mentioning that they Renard and the girls have become "quite the team". Anthony replies that he can't be so quick to trust him. Enraged, Kat begins yelling at him, she argues that he can't be so quick to come to that conclusion if he wasn't even there to know Renard personally. Mrs. Donlan, shocked, scolds Kat. Anthony deadpans that he was aware of his absence. Donald insists that Anthony doesn't need to be so guarded, and Anthony takes that as his cue to leave. To Kat's irritation, he uses Annie as an excuse, saying that it's a school night. Annie shrugs off Kat's hold on her and obediently follows her father out. Kat, distressed over the situation, asks her dad if he could do anything about Anthony. Donald replies that he can't, at least not head on. Anja sadly watches the two leave and expresses sympathy for Annie. Donald tells Kat that he knows that something happened to him and he will try to convince Anthony that there are some things even he can't control. Meanwhile, Antimony and Anthony have reached Antimony's residence. The two wish each other good night and Annie watches as her father walks away. Solemnly, she enters her room, closes the door and then calls for something to come down from the ceiling. The next page reveals what appears to be Annie's elemental side hovering over her. Annie smiles and comments that she thinks that the night's events went "quite well". The chapter then ends. Characters Featured *Kat Donlan *Antimony Carver *Anthony Carver *George Parley *Andrew Smith *Reynardine *Donald Donlan *Anja Donlan Places Featured *Gunnerkrigg Court *Annie's Room *Anthony's House *Donlan Residence Trivia * The bonus page features comically adorable pictures of Reynardine in his "puppy" form from earlier in the chapter while Reynard insists that he wasn't trying to be cute. Category:Chapters